Introduction

Oh dear companions, the descendants of Hāloa, from the appearance of the sun at Kumukahi to the setting of the sun at the taproot of Lehua. To the lāhui Kanaka, the native nation, the nation of Hawaiʻi, kin of my kin, bone of my bones, blood of my blood, great aloha to you all. Here this humble writer places before you all, upon our dining table, some grains of salt to marinate the sweet-eyed kole fish, which together we consume. According to one of the famous historians of Hawaiʻi, Joseph Mokuohai Poepoe, "the knowledge of the moʻolelo of your motherland is the primary position of knowledge upon which a firm political stance can be made so that [we] may fight for the pono of our governance." From these wise words of Poepoe, we can see that our position upon which we take a stand is made firm by the knowledge of the old traditions of our beloved native homelands. It is as if the old moʻolelo of these islands are the stones that make firm the the foundation of our house of governance. Let us remember, oh readers, the famous words of our mōʻī Kamehameha III, that is, "Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono." Pono is the most important thing in the continuation of the ea of our ʻāina. Therefore, oh reading companions, here is one old moʻolelo that I found in reading the Nupepa Kuokoa, published in 1862, written by Simeon Keliikaapuni. The one for whom this moolelo is written is the famous aliʻi of Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi Kuauli, that is ʻUmi-a-līloa, whose name became famous from one corner of the islands to the other, because of generous deeds in caring for his akua, the "big person," and the "small person." According to another famous historian of Hawaiʻi, Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau, "When the government of Hawaiʻi was united by ʻUmi-a-līloa, his name became famous from Hawaiʻi to Kauaʻi. There was no aliʻi who reigned as he did. He cared for the old men and women and the parentless children; he cared for the common people; there was no killing and no theft. ʻUmi-a-līloa was a pious chief in his reign, and therefore Umi-a-līloa became an ancestor of cheifs and an ancestor of common people. There is no common person of Hawaiʻi who could say that ʻUmi-a-līloa is not an ancestor of theirs, and if there is a person who denies this, it is because they lack knowledge of their ancestry." Therefore, oh nation, oh proud descendants of the one for whom this moʻolelo is written, here is a stone to make firm the primary position of knowledge upon which we will take a stand, so that we can engage in a conscious struggle for the pono of our lāhui and the ea of our beloved ʻāina.

Here is the first section of "A Moʻolelo for ʻUmi" written by Simeon Keliikaapuni in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, on January 25, 1862.

Chapter I.

This has been brought forth by me from within a Book of Hawaiian Moʻolelo, printed at Lāhaināluna in 1838, and I am thinking to print his Moʻolelo in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, along with the character of his deeds in the days of old.

ʻUmi was the child of Līloa, although he was not Līloa's first child. Hakau was the eldest child of Līloa and Piena, the wahine who Līloa lived with. Therefore, Hakau was called an aliʻi nui, because Piena's rank as aliʻi was like that of Līloa. However, ʻUmi was the child of Līloa and another woman who he only slept with, and Akahiakuleana was the name of that wahine. It is thought by many that she was a wahine without aliʻi ancestry, but, through her genealogy she indeed is descendant of aliʻi. She shared an ancestor with Līloa. They were both descendants of Kanipahu.

Here is the genealogy of Akahiakuleana from Kanipahu. Kanipahu lived with Alaikauakoko, born was Kalapana, the ancestor of Līloa. Kanipahu then lived with Hulani, and born was Kalahuimoku, the ancestor of Akahiakuleana.

Here are the generations descending from Kalahuimoku who lived with Laamea: Oikialamea [was born], and lived with Kalamea; Kamanawakalamea [was born], and lived with Kaiua; Ouakaiua [was born], and lived with Kuaimakani; Kanahae and Kuaimakani [were born] and lived with Kapiko; Kuleanakupiko [was born] and lived with Keanianihooleilei; Akahiakuleana [was born] and lived with Līloa; born was ʻUmi.

Here are the generations descending from Kalapana, who lived with Wakaamalaihauae; [born was] Kahaimoeleaikai, who lived with Kapoakauluhailaa; [born was] Kalaunuiohua, who lived with Kaheka; [born was] Kuaiwa, who lived with Kamuleilani; [born was] Kahoukapu, who lived with Laaukapu; [born was] Kauhola, who lived with Neula; [born was] Kiha, who lived with Wailea; [born was] Līloa, who lived with Akahiokuleana; [born was] Umi.

This is [the story of] Līloa's reign, and the birth of ʻUmi. Līloa was the father of ʻUmi, and [he was] the aliʻi nui of Hawaiʻi at the time. At Waipiʻo, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi was the place where he continuously lived. During his time in traveling in the northern part of Hāmākua, the side near Hilo, he went to the observe the kapu at the heiau of Manini. That heiau that Līloa stirred into action was at Koholālele, Hāmākua. When the kapu had been observed, he waited until the hoʻomāhanahana kapu was completed, and then he moved on towards the north of that place. He stopped and stayed at Kaʻawikiwiki, because he wanted to engage in the game of paheʻe (spear sliding) and other frivolities.

During his time staying there, he went to bathe in the stream at Hōʻea, adjoining the ʻāina at Kealakaha, and it is there that he met Akahiakuleana. She had just finished her maʻi (menstruation), and was bathing to cleanse herself of her haumia (and after that, she would return to her kāne, as was common for wahine of that time), and her female servant was sitting at the edge of the water, holding her pāʻū skirt.

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About the story...

"He Moolelo no Umi" is one of the earliest known published versions of the story of ʻUmi-a-Liloa, the great chief of Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi. The version of this story that is republished and translated here was first published by Simeon Keliikaapuni and J. H. Z. Kalunaaina in 1862, in the Hawaiian language newspaper called Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. After Keliikaapuni & Kalunaaina published "He Moolelo no Umi," similar versions of this important moʻolelo were published and republished in newspapers by a number of others throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Our kūpuna clearly valued this moʻolelo and the lessons it imbued upon each generation who learned it. We, in the same spirit that inspired our kūpuna to retell this moʻolelo, represent it here, in both its original language and in english, so that our generation and the many generations to come may derive knowledge from the important lessons held within this moʻolelo. And so that we, kamaʻāina of Hāmākua, may find pride in the deep cultural heritage and history of our beloved homelands, the birthplace of this great chief, ʻUmi-a-Līloa.

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